The Launch Show has just aired and in my opinion was fantastic.
Kyle and Jackie O did a great job hosting. The 2-host format works well and seemed more natural than one host standing there talking to camera and reading an auto-cue. Their interviews with the housemates seemed natural and unscripted. We saw the snide remarks from Kyle and the up-front side of Jackie. It's not the mother-hen hosting style we are used to, and it brings more personality to the show.
The new set is a great change. It has lots of "areas" so they can do lots of different camera angles from one small area. The staircase at the back is a good entry point to the stage. The tunnels off either side make it very 3 dimensional. The view-blocking ramp down the middle of the audience is gone and makes crowd shots look more full. The "special audience" either side of the stage is a great idea obviously borrowed from the other reality shows Idol and SYTYCD where the audience is made a part of the stage and are up close. The fact that it is all white and lit with coloured lights is good too, and I can just see it changing to red for the eviction shows.
No expense was spared on sets and staning which is great. The housemate holding area looked toally cool, and it could have looked so tacky. They did a great job of that. Plus the area at the back of the amphitheatre was decked out a bit when they got into the cars, and the stage outside the door to the house was really well dressed and looked like another venue entirely. Maybe it will be used more for the series.
Having the bookie there was a bit out of place but he may become a good character during the show. Does this sway the viewers' vote a bit too much though?
The treasured items was reminiscent of the charity items from the first 4 years. I can see them being used in a twist somewhere along the way. Do HMs want to get their item, or add money to the prize or something. It would be great if they said they were going to destroy the item for good in exchange for prize money. Let them think hard about their choice.
The House and Housemates I'll try and cover separately.
The Housemate preview packages were well done and made a bit funnier and more interesting than past years' clips.
The low-key, under-hyped twist at the end of the show was brilliant too. They didn't make too big a deal of it, but it gives them a unique and huge draw card for Daily Show 1. It is almost a shame they didn't hype up the twist a little more, but good they didn't go overboard like other years.
They put together a fantastic Launch Show that lived up to all the expectations of fresh and new they have hinted at. And it definitely sets the stage for a great season ahead.
